The Effect of Mild-Pressure Hyperbaric Therapy (Oasis O₂) on Fatigue and Oxidative Stress

Mild-pressure hyperbaric therapy (mHBT) has become increasingly popular among elite athletes and most recently among the general public yet there is very little scientific underpinnings on its therapeutic use. In this study, fifteen healthy volunteers (8 men, 7 women, mean age 29.7 ± 8.1 years) were exposed to 1.3 atmospheres absolute (ATA) for 40 minutes in a mild hyperbaric chamber called “Oasis O2” to determine the effect of ambient air at 1.3 ATA on oxidative stress, antioxidant potential, fatigue, and blood chemistry. Reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), an index of oxidative stress, significantly reduced by 11% (p = 0.006), while biological antioxidant potential (BAP), an index of antioxidant capacity, did not show a significant change (p = 0.749). WBC count significantly reduced by 10.4% (p = 0.005) whereas WBC differential did not show a marked change. The mean visual analog scale (VAS) score for fatigue significantly decreased from 5.0 to 2.1 (p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that mild-pressure hyperbaric therapy reduces oxidative stress as indicated by a significant decrease in serum ROM, and also helps improve fatigue as seen by a significant decrease in VAS fatigue scores.

Assessment of Biological Reaction to Whole Body Vibration Training by Evaluating Changes in Salivary Components and Cutaneous Blood Flow

Aim: Whole body vibration (WBV) is thought to improve blood flow and autonomic balance and thereby induce a relaxation effect, which suggests its use for stress management. However, the relaxation effect of WBV training has not been objectively evaluated thus far. The purpose of this study was to determine the biological response to WBV training by measuring peripheral blood flow and salivary components using non-invasive techniques. Methods: Participants included 10 healthy volunteers (7 men, 3 women;mean age 33.8 ± 2.3) who provided oral consent and served as their own control. Each participant performed 15 types of stretching exercises for 10.5 min on the Power Plate? and cutaneous blood flow and salivary components were measured before and after the exercise. One week later, all participants performed the same exercise regimen for 10.5 min on a non-vibratory plate, and blood flow measurement and salivary tests were performed in a similar manner. Cutaneous blood flow was measured in the 4th digit for 1 min using the laser speckle flowgraphy. Saliva samples were evaluated for cortisol levels and α-amylase activity. To determine the effects of stretching exercises on the Power Plate? vs a non-vibratory plate, the differences in pre- and post-exercise peripheral blood flow, salivary cortisol levels, and salivary α-amylase activity were statistically evaluated by the t-test. Results: Mean blood flow before and after the exercise on the Power Plate? was 122.0 ± 54.2 and 156.7 ± 51.2, respectively;on a non-vibratory plate, blood flow was 136.6 ± 47.9 and 146.3 ± 38.3, respectively. The differences in pre-exercise and post-exercise values of the two training methods were not significant (p = 0.215). Mean cortisol levels before and after the exercise on the Power Plate? were 266.6 ± 125 and 204.9 ± 61.6, respectively;on a non-vibratory plate, the levels were 439.0 ± 121.7 and 425.8 ± 118.8, respectively. The differences in pre-exercise and post-exercise values of the two training methods were not significant (p = 0.384). Mean α-amylase activity before and after the exercise on the Power Plate? was 3.74 ± 2.89 and 5.40 ± 3.76, respectively;on a non-vibratory plate, the activity was 3.95 ± 2.23 and 3.28 ± 1.73. The differences in pre-exercise and post-exercise values of the two training methods were not significant (p = 0.115). Conclusion: Our results showed that a brief WBV training increased peripheral blood flow, reduced cortisol levels, and increased α-amylase activity. WBV appears to regulate autonomic activity, in particular, suppress sympathetic activity and improve bodily functions. Thus WBV exercise may be conductive for stress management, but further investigation is warranted to determine the optimal duration of WBV training for stress relief.

Effect of enpishin (press tack acupuncture needles) on autonomic function, WBC count and oxidative stress

Acupuncture as a vital component of traditional medical systems of the Far East has been used to restore and maintain health for over three millennia. However, the neurobiological correlates of this therapy remain largely unknown. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effect of enpishin acupuncture (press tack needles (PTN)) on autonomic function, WBC count, and oxidative stress between subjects that received either verum or placebo PTN treatment. Twenty men (mean(SD) age: 36.7(5.1) years) who provided oral consent were randomized to receive either verum PTN (n = 9) or placebo PTN (n = 11). Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) was used to select the acupoints for each participant. Autonomic function and oxidative stress level were analyzed before and after the treatment via heart rate variability (HRV) and free radical analysis system (FRAS4), respectively. Pre- and post-treatment WBC count was also evaluated. Verum PTN group had a statistically significant increase (p = 0.008) in Ln TP, an index of overall autonomic activity. Subjects in this group also had a significantly greater (p = 0.006) variation in Ln TP than the placebo PTN group in response to the treatment. Similarly, Ln HF of subjects receiving verum PTN showed a marked increase (p = 0.0026) after the treatment. Moreover, a significantly greater (p < 0.001) variation in mean Ln HF before and after the treatment was noted in the verum group than the placebo group, reflecting a greater parasympathetic activation in the former. In contrast, sympathetic activity was not significantly influenced by verum PTN based on the lack of observed changes in LF/HF ratio. In addition, both groups failed to demonstrate significant variations in pre- and post-treatment mean Ln LF/HF ratio. Further, no significant intergroup difference was found with regard to mean variation in Ln LF/HF ratio. Verum PTN did not induce significant changes in WBC count and markers of oxidative stress, namely reactive oxygen species (ROM) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP). However, a comparison of variations in pre- and post-treatment mean WBC count showed a significant difference (p = 0.020) between the two treatment modes: verum group showed a slight increase (225 ± 384.5), while placebo group showed a minimal decrease (–190 ± 272.6). Our findings suggest that PTN increases overall autonomic activity, particularly the parasympathetic function.

The efficacy of recovery care with cool veil serum

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of post-exercise treatment with “Cool Veil Serum (CVS)” developed by Madre:X Co. Ltd. (Shibuya, Tokyo) to prevent exercise-induced muscle swelling. Calf circumferences and mus-cle stiffness of both legs were measured in 10 healthy female. The measurements were made on before 5-minute exercise, after the exercise, and after 10-minute recovery care with CVS and 5-minute rest. The recovery care was applied only on right leg of the subjects. Then, multiple comparisons of calf circumference and muscle stiffness on each leg among pre-exer-cise, post-exercise, and final measurements were carried out. Exercise caused a significant increase in calf circumference and muscle stiff-ness. The recovery care with CVS rapidly re-duced postexercise calf circumference to pre-exercise level. Relationship between reduc-ing muscle swelling after exercise and prevent-ing sport injury should be explored in further studies.

Effects of Prolonged Night Shifts on Salivary <i>α</i>-Amylase, Secretory Immunoglobulin, Cortisol, and Chromogranin A Levels in Nurses

Prolonged night shift is associated with high burnout rate, but the physiological effects of a 16 h shift remain undetermined. Here we evaluated fatigue and stress via salivary assays to determine the correlation between stress and fatigue and prolonged night shifts. Twenty-five nurses (9 men, 16 women;16 h night shift (n = 13), 8 h day shift (n = 12)) from Juntendo University Koshigaya Hospital were evaluated for four consecutive workdays separated by off days. Salivary samples were collected upon waking and before sleep on non-working days, before and after the day and night shifts, and before and after the break during the nocturnal schedule, and analyzed for levels of cortisol, chromogranin A, α-amylase activity and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). On non-working days, cortisol levels showed similar kinetic pattern in both nurses. On working days, day-time nurses’ cortisol levels showed normal circadian pattern throughout the shift. Night nurses’ cortisol levels at the beginning of the shift were comparable to that of the normal morning elevation. α-Amylase activity in the night shift nurses was higher than day shift nurses through each period. No significant differences in chromogranin A and sIgA levels were detected between day and night shift workers. A 16 h night shift may cause marked circadian misalignment in cortisol levels.